Wings to Fly
by CharlyKaa
Summary: Birds have wings so they can fly, so they can be free and live as they wish to. people have wings too, but most of them don't notice it and sometimes it takes a little magic to get up the sky, in the wings of freedom and love. Toto's story.
1. Chapter 1: Past

This is my particular christmas gift to everyone in this fandom and what I think is Toto's story. Its divided in three chapters. The next two I will publish soon enough.

Dedicated to: ChocolateSunshine500, Catsafari, vikkie, Maict, KathySacuba, WhiteDemoness11, aznchocoholic and najedia. Sorry if I forgot anyone, but you know who you are! Thanks for all the support and thanks for encouraging me to keep on trying!

The Cat Returns is not mine, but to compensate it, here is a little list of italian words I'll be using in the story:

Creazione: creation (creationi, creations)

Mio figlio: my son (piccolo, small)

Naturalmente: of course

Che vita meravigliosa!: what a wonderful life!

Padre: father

Non essere stupido fratello: don't be stupid brother (mio fratello, my brother)

Cielo: sky

Fidati di me: Trust me

Magico: magical

* * *

><p><strong>Wings to fly<strong>

Chapter 1: Past

He stretched his wings to all their span "It's a good thing to be alive" he tought, not for the first time in his life. He still smiled from the memory of his creator jumping two feet in the air because of the scare the crow gargoyle gave him when he became flesh in front of his eyes. -Dio!- he swore just before wiping his brow to come nearer the recently transformed bird -so this is a _Creazione_- the old man said, remembering the words of his master, just before the man died.

-A _creazione_?- asked a voice at the side of the crow gargoyle and the bird turned to see a fellow stone-to-flesh creature changing slowly, hair by hair, casting a soft blue glow.

-Yes, he said that when someone create something, with all their heart and hopes, the object is given life, and I just have the proof of it in front of me- the smile in the face of the man looked a little forced, but neither of them noticed, enthusiastic as they were at the perspective of being alive. -But... I should give you names...- the man put a hand to the back of his head, the gesture the bird-like gargoyle knew was the one of concentration and frowned deeply. -Eureka!- the man shouted and caressed softly the feathers of the black bird -You should be named Toto, _mio figlio_, because you are all I dreamed and hoped-

-And me?- the other one asked and the old man walked near him, laughing hard.

-_Naturalmente, mio figlio piccolo_, you shall be named Muta, because I changed for you- and it was obvious by watching the both of them that the man had changed significantly to create them: while Toto was a crow in all the extension of the word, the smaller detail carved carefully on the stone, Muta was a little more... free in its design... a chimera, with the body of a pig and a cat (AN: Muta fans... I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist... don't kill me!) and small dove wings in its back and the entire body covered with soft white fur.

-_Che vita meravigliosa!_- the crow shouted to the top of his lungs, since he didn't have anything to fear. It was sad, but shortly after being created, he had to be separated from his "human", his _padre_, being taken, along with his little brother, to the main tower of the church, where his "place" was.

-And what is so wonderful about it?- asked the gruff voice of his brother from his side and Toto couldn't help but to hide the smile that was already forming on his beak. It was another thing that was so radically different between them; while Toto was all happiness and optimism, Muta was... always watching the glass half empty.

-We are alive, _mio fratello_, I think that's e...nough...- and Toto's sight and speech was suddenly lost in the contemplation of the birds in the air, traveling, spiraling... flying.

-Why don't you try it, birdbrain?- the younger brother asked, knowing Toto's weakness.

-_Non essere stupido fratello_, you know I'm not a real bird, I can't fly- the bird said with a tone of uncharacteristic melancholy in his voice and every single discussion was cut short for the day.

~o~o~o~

-What are you, anyway?- Muta was awoken one day by a female voice. A very sweet, silvery female voice. He turned to flesh in record time to see his brother shrinking in fright in a corner, while a female crow towered over him -So... can't you tell me?-

-What'cha doing?- Muta asked, standing on his hind legs in front of his brother to protect him. Maybe he didn't know what was going on, but it wasn't normal for his brother to be this afraid. Never.

-Nothing with you- she answered in a defensive manner, watching a weird animal in front of her. -My name is Cielo, by the way- she said before winking to the bird and flying away to the setting sun.

-What was that?- Muta asked once he made sure his brother was once again on his pedestal and breathing normally, but got no answer all that day, until almost sunrise when a small voice answered, in the growing light of the tower.

-She asked me why I don't fly...-

~o~o~o~

-You know, the wings are for flying- Cielo said to him that summer afternoon, just after the sun passed the noon, when no one was watching the tower, in the lunch time. -We are supposed to be free and the wings give us the ability to do it.-

-Do what?- Toto asked, interested and not only in what she was saying. Muta wasn't there, because both of his aversion to the female bird and the love he knew his brother felt fo the same girl.

-Fly... escape... travel...- she said with her dreamiest voice and Toto didn't feel anything for the next seconds, just enough for her to pull him near the edge of the rail where his claws were resting.

-No... no!- he said, pulling his wings back, but it was too late, and he was so near the edge his body plummeted to the abyss.

-Open your wings and let the air take you!- Cielo's voice spoke from his side but he was far too afraid to even open his eyes, feeling the void under him. -_Fidati di me!_- was the last he heard before opening his eyes and his wing to their maximum span and suddenly he could see the blue of the sky and feel the wind moving every single feather on his body. He was flying. -You are doing it!- Cielo's voice cheered at his side and he couldn't help but smile, his voice lost in the happiness of the moment. He was free... he was flying... he was alive.

~o~o~o~

-How was it, birdbrain?- Muta's gruff voice greeted him from a corner of the tower when Toto returned, alone, to his place.

-It was... _magico_- he said, and not only referring to the flight, but to the time spent with the beautiful female crow.

-You can't do that!- Muta snapped and Toto jumped in his place, moving his wings a little as reflex.

-What do you mean?- the bird asked.

-To go away, to... go and fly!- Muta yelled.

-Well, I'm a bird, remember? You tell me everyday... birdbrain, isn't it? I'm supposed to fly!- Toto shouted back, not reigning on his temper.

-You are a GARGOYLE! You are supposed to be in the same place!-

-Just because you can't move don't mean I can't be free!- Toto answered before he could stop himself and threw a wing over his beak. -I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't mean...-

-Good night, Toto...- Muta's hurt voice answered him from his place, just before turning back to stone.

~o~o~o~

-...So I want to be strong enough to lift him from the ground so he can enjoy the freedom like I can- Toto's tone didn't let Cielo understand the half of whatever he was saying, but by what she could catch, it was a really bad idea.

-They would notice...- she tried to put sense back into him, but it seemed like a lost cause.

-No, it wouldn't, because it would be after the sunset. There are no people outside and the ones who are, won't tell anything! It's a great idea!-

-All right, we can train you to lift him- she said with a resigned voice -but what do you want to get?-

-I want him to be free as I am now, thanks to you...- he said, a little calmer and Cielo couldn't help but feel like everything they did together was worth the try.

~o~o~o~

It was January 11, 1693, according to the gregorian calendar when Toto experimented for the first time in his long life a strange feeling, similar to a premonition. -Don't go out today Toto, please...- Muta talked to him for the first time in two weeks, that sunset, but the bird just brushed off the feeling before preparing to fly.

-I'll be back before midnight. I promise, _mio fratello_- Toto said before flying away and that would be the last time he saw his brother in his life.

~o~o~o~

-We are almost there- Cielo cheered him while he lifted a really big heap of branches from one tree to the other, at the other side of the city. And true, they were almost there when an electric shock went though both of them at the same time, causing the male crow to let go of his cargo -Land!- was all Cielo could order before they were tossed from one side to the other and part of the forest fell on them.

~o~o~o~

When Cielo opened her eyes, she found herself inside a dome made of black stone, completely safe from the falling things around her and the moving ground under her, but the ground wasn't moving anymore and she couldn't see a way to get out of the dome -Toto?- she asked experimentally and she felt a shudder coming from the stone pressed to her side and a moment later, Toto's wing was closing to his side, after protecting her from falling branches and small stones.

-You're alright!- he exclaimed happily, embracing her with his wings, just before looking back to the sky -It's past midnight... Muta's going to kill me!- he said just before flying away, leaving her all alone in the middle of the clearing made by his own body ion the heart of the destruction around her.

But she wasn't going to stay and wait. She followed him, slowly, thanks to both the shock of seeing his transformation from so close and the movement of the earth. She hadn't felt anything like that before. And she found him in the middle of another devastation, his forehead against the forehead of a stone figure she recognized as Muta, only this Muta was lacking legs... and tail... and half a body... even to a simple bird like she was, who couldn't understand magic as well as Toto could, Muta was evidently dead.

-I... I promised- Toto said, just before his voice broke and fell to the ground crying like Cielo didn't knew birds could cry. But _Creazioni_ had to be different and she said nothing while the male cried all he could and hid all he could find of his brother in an improvised hole in the ground, at the side of their creator whose tomb was curiously still on one piece, so they could rest together until the three of them could be together again.

* * *

><p>The earthquake did happen, in the south of Italy in the day and year I said in the story, at 9:00 pm (aproximately). I know its sad, but deal with me a little longer, next is the story of how he found the "Refuge for Creations", the creation of the Cat Office and the movie. I know the chapter looks broken, but its like a recolection of memories. If you find it very confusing, tell me so I can rewrite it.<p>

Oh, by the way... ChocolateSunshine500, I think they sound weird too, especially Muta and Natoru (or its Natori?), when I watched it the first time, I had to put it on pause because I was laughing so hard, I wasn't watching it anymore.

And for those "fans" (of course... ¬¬) of Katzen Blut, it will still be On Hiatus, because I'm writting the chapters again to publish it without interruption!


	2. Chapter 2: Present

Second chapter! thanks for waiting for so long... well, maybe this can be your valentine's day gift? It's my first birthday gift in some years XD. Sorry, needed to tell it.

This chapter includes some character death, a lot of OCCness, a good amount of OCs and Toto's side of the movie!

Enjoy!

Posso essere più stupidi? - Can I be more stupid?

Serenata para Cristina - Serenade for Christine

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: Present<strong>

Part 1: Until we meet again...

Cielo couldn't help but gaze at the neighbouring nest, where the small baby crows were having their first lesson of flying.

-And remember you must feel the air currents below you, so they carry you. Today we will only land safely.- Brisa, Cielo's best friend and the hatchling's mother, was telling them, taking Cielo back to the day she said similar things to the bird now sleeping besides her. Toto, her companion for the last years, wasn't the same as all the crows she had known in her complete life.

He was an entirely different bird, flesh and blood and stone at the same time. Her mother had called them a Creazione, beings the parents of the parents of her parents beyond memory had seen when the crows had been said to be white. But he trembled in pain and memory all the time, not entirely bird, but a winged being with human soul. Something created by dreams and hopes and the little magic of the mystery of the night. And being his companion for years made her body ache. Her body and her heart, since Creazioni weren't able to have children of their own.

Crows are known fo being particularly loyal and territorial creatures, and thanks to that Cielo had been with Toto for nearly twenty winters. And that was far more than her parents had been alive. But she could feel her time coming to an end, and she felt the sadness of Toto's lonely future once she was gone, with no memories to share together. No eggs being broken from the inside, no first flight for the little ones. No sleepless night and no deadmeat hunt for them. The memories she was to left behind for him were not bird's. The memories they had shared were human's: the sunsets, the places visited, nights spent under the stars, the smell of flowers, the smell of the rain, the light of the summer...

Birds don't understand other's loneliness, but thanks to her time by Toto's side, she could feel his stony heart, and she had acquired a human heart of her own, thankful of the time together, thankful of the cold and the warmth, thankful of the food, the water, the worms, the young cats, the old dogs, the times they had being together...

-Toto...- Cielo said, following Nube's flight, as the youngest of the hatchlings landed safely on the soft grass bellow his family tree. The stone crow stirred in his sleep and opened a single yellow eye, which looked at her with all the love, desire and hope they had shown eighteen springs ago, a red sunset as she was flying by him.

-Yes, _mio amore_?- his masculine voice interrupted the silence created between her words and the flapping of the neighbour's wings.

-I'll die this sunset- she said, knowing it was what her heart had been saying since the moment she had awoke that morning to eat by herself. Toto had been sleeping all the time, tired of pretending to be a real bird by sleeping and flying and eating, everything just for her. -I'll die this sunset- she said, turning to see her mate to the eye, so he could be safe of the true meaning of her words.

-No...- he began, but then he stopped himself. A flurry of feathers enveloped her and she found herself in the tender embrace of Toto's wings, the only way he knew how to speak when words couldn't say what he wanted to say, or when his own brain couldn't find the adequate words to say what he was feeling. And she rubbed her head against his, and pecked on his shoulder with love, the only way she could respond to his embraces and human heart.

~o~o~o~

They were watching the horizon together, side by side, on the top of Cielo's favorite jacaranda, among the purple-blue flowers she so dearly loved. And there, with her stomach full of her favorite mouse meat, half asleep thanks to the red lights of the sunset, she finally understood what no bird and no human was able to understand, something that she knew thanks to her side near a Creazione. Her vision blurred for a moment thanks to invisible tears and the white hand of the death. Her heart thumped thanks to the revelation and she closed her eyes in bliss, barely moving her beak to the sound of the words.

"Dreams and hopes give a life, but purpose gives a soul. Nobody really dies, as long as they live in someone's mind. Memories is how we keep on living, even after our body decays."

-Ti amo Toto- she said before her breathing stopped.

-Ti amo Cielo- he said before noticing the cold besides himself. And then he cried once again in his life, without watching the eyes of the female by his side, burning his wings with unconditional love, until the moon walked by the night sky.

~o~o~o~

Part 2: Porcelain creation.

Wings flapping, feathers left behind. Overcoming sadness, loneliness running by his side.

Nobody knows the mistake of loving for an eternity. Nobody but the creations. Nobody, not even the gods knows the eternity better than creations, because the dreams of the men are eternal, because the hopes of the men last forever and they are the same again and again. A unpure heart can't conquer the forever, but the pure heart don't want the eternity. And Cielo had been a pure heart. And he had made the mistake of loving her without thinking back. Eternal longing, eternal pain, eternal memories.

He had been learning to cope with it for the last three hundred years and still his heart felt the need to have her by his side every afternoon after going from stone to flesh. His eyes still deceived him with the vision of her, last thing in the morning, when a young, curious crow went to look at what was him.

He had been racing the pain around the world watching the marvels and wonders, looking around and losing his past in the process. He had been trying to win a present.

And then, a beam of hope. The feeling of something like him, looking at the same stars he did, hoping under the same moon not to be alone. Maybe. And that was what he was looking for now.

~o~o~o~

-_Bonjour!_- she said, roses on her lips, an apple flower in her hand. And Toto, standing on the branch of the same apple tree, made a reverence the best way he knew inclining his head to a dangerous angle, under the risk of falling of the branch.

-Good afternoon _mademoiselle_- he said with affectation and a hidden smile, before flying down to land on the window sill besides her.

-What are you looking for?- she said with the familiarity of a young teenager before a family member and Toto laughed out loud for the first time after Cielo's death.

-The sky- he said after thinking a little about his answer and she stood in the silence of the friends, before sitting down by him, her small shoed feet dangling under her. Toto looked back at her from the vision of the blue sky, where he was lost, looking for something that would not be there again. The little girl, Alouette, was the better known doll by the local birds, because she was able to talk and walk all alone. _Création,_ they had called her, looking like a fifteen years old young woman, dressed in a brown and cream long gown, soft blonde curls falling at the sides of her oval face, blue eyes looking at the blue sky, from her ten inches height.

-_Ciel_...- she said at last, after a long, long silence, white and pink petals raining around them, falling into the room through the open window. -Ginette liked the sky and the apple flowers- she said before her silence made the male answer -She died young, and lived short. And now she is in her beloved _Ciel_. And she showed it to me too.- Alouette stood up and put her hands to the sides of his head -Look.- she said before Toto closed his eyes to live again a memory never forgotten.

~o~o~o~

When he opened his eyes, he was in front of a young woman, not older than seventeen, with pale yellow skin and big brown eyes. But he was not he anymore, but she, and she moved her hands for the first time and walked to the girl and was received in loving arms by her.

Ginette was her name, eighteen her age and hepatic encephalopathy her ghost. Her father had been a doll maker and so was she, since the age of ten. Since young she had been weak, sleeping all day and feeling confused. So, knowing she was going to die soon, she wanted to make something where her heart could live and she made a doll.

Alouette learned of the world by Ginette's lips, both girl and doll sharing a soul and a heart, loving the same things, living on the same memories, until the child began to smile, to dance and to sing when the mother couldn't. Then their hearts were separated , the child knew achievement, the mother, pride, and both of them, loneliness.

Ginette died one year later and Ginette's mother, the grandmother, loved the child as her child masterpiece and memory. And love was the way she continued to live, by the heart of Ginette's mother, her cousins and their children, to the last generation of doll makers.

And one night, under the light of the moon, Ginette returned to her, white and pink as the apple flowers, smiling and shining.

-Come- she said, and showed her the way to the safety in the dream of the ones with an eternal soul- come when your heart is ready and when your time is over.-

~o~o~o~

-The place to go when you are ready and there's nothing left- Toto said, opening his eyes.

-There's always something left- Alouette said, bringing her hands back to their place, by her hips -because they will always live with you, in your memory, in your eternal memory of _Création,_ all of them, Lysander, Muta and Cielo. They will always live with you.- She looked back at the sky, her painted eyes without pupils glazing over the memory. -She couldn't remember anything at the end, she was confused all the time, she was constantly scared and finally she went to sleep and never wake up.- Blue tears began to fall to the grass from her eyes -But she is still alive, here- she said touching her chest and then touching his -As Cielo lives here.-

~o~o~o~

Part 3: Place to go...

Leaves falling, cold wind and a forest in the middle of nowhere, in the place where dreams and reality fuses. Toto could feel himself returning to his stone self all the time, just to turn his head and see he wasn't. The scary sensation never let him go as he flew after the black and gray shadow of his love ones.

His place had always being the sunset... twilight better said, when the first star begin to shine, just after the sun had died for the day. And that twilight he had been dreaming of Lysander and his little hammer, of Muta and his eternal bad jokes. Of Cielo and their time together, pretending to be two teenager birds in love... and then, just as he turned from stone to flesh, the soft feeling of feathers on his beak called him to reality to see the devoted eyes of the crow he still loved. -Time to fly- she had said just before leaving him behind, and he lost sight of her between the trees of the forest.

-Come... _mio figlio-_ Lysander's voice sounded by his side, before he saw the gray shadow of the man running to enter the forest.

-Come on, birdbrain, time to wake up- Muta's gruff voice called him from a high branch of the first tree and Toto turned just in time to see his brother first flight, under the shine of the full moon, the night of the beasts and magic, before flying on his own.

And his race against his love had turned into a race again time and memories. Trees began to be icicles and the warm wind of the summer nights, winter blizzards. And he felt the pain again, the regret and the hate for himself as he turned into stone forever.

-Forgive yourself- Lysander's voice was soft as cotton and as warm as a mother's hug against the cold.

-I can't- Toto replied, full of death and stone.

-You can never win against time, birdbrain- Muta's voice encouraged him, flexing his wings in warm currents of air,carrying him far and far above.

-Nobody wins against nature- Cielo's voice dissipated the fog surrounding the trees, leaving sight of the end of the forest and the light at the end of it.

-Forgive yourself, for you had no way to save us nor the right to fight. Accept the truth and live, because we will live as long as you remember us- Lysander said and he extended his left arm in front of him to let the tired crow rest on it. They were at the entrance of a tunnel of trees light beyond it. And Toto came to rest on the offered limb and pecked the man's hair with love.

-I couldn't stop your sickness, nor your old age- Toto accepted and the man nodded, caressing the feathers on the crow's head, in silence.

-I couldn't stop the earthquake. I couldn't be on time to save you- Toto said to Muta, who laughed before patting his ample stomach.

-Not that you could carry me with those scrawny wings, birdbrain.- Muta replied, earning a heartfelt laugh from the stone crow.

-I couldn't stop the time for us to be together- Toto said at last, looking at the eyes of the love of his life, who just smiled as only the birds can.

-We were together, as birds should be and you gave me the happiness you could, the best way you could- she said.

-Got there, where you go once there's nothing left to do with this life, and begin a new one, be reborn now that your heart is ready to do so. Forgive yourself and remember, as all the Creations do when it's the time to go on- the three said at the same time and Toto left Lysander's arm, to flight into the light, without turning back.

~o~o~o~

Part 4: The Cat Creation.

Time came and went, in the middle of the courtyard of what was known as "The Refuge for Creations", where a pillar was raised and the crow creation liked to sleep the dreams of the past and future. Creations came and went the same as time, to share stories, to remember love, to rest in their quest, to find a purpose.

It's said there's a Creation for every human hope in the world. For every hope that is hoped for other, that has a purpose, and has a way. Toto's purpose, as he discovered the night he had been welcomed into the "Refuge" was to fly. He was meant to be the wings in which dreams might become realities and wishes might raise above the clouds, into the stars. That was his meaning, and his purpose, and he used to fly every night, above the children's dreams, to listen to their wishes and take them to the top of the threes, where they could see the distant moon. But as he learned, even it that was what he knew was meant to do, nothing was gained that way. So he came back, every morning, full of words and empty of meaning.

That was, of course, until the afternoon when the sun set had brought the shine of hundred suns into the courtyard, blinding the unsuspecting creations with the light. And a cat had come behind it, walking on shoes feet, wearing a light gray, almost white suit, a cane on his right hand, a portrait under his left arm, a top hat between his ears and a confused expression in his yellow-green eyes.

Silence greeted him, the eyes of half a dozen beings on him, before he took off his hat ans made a short reverence before them -Good afternoon... my name is Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen. Pleased to make your acquaintance.- were his words, smoothly said, before the creations cheered the newcomer.

Von Gikkingen, as most the creations liked to call him, came to live inside the smallest of the houses, the one suiting his liking. His best friend was Toto, a fast friendship, ganied in equality of conditions: A lost love.

~o~o~o~

-_Serenata para Cristina_- or Christie, the creations called her -is the same as you.- Toto said on the afternoon tea, while eating some mulberries on Baron's balcony's rail. He was the only one who called the cloth and wood creation by his title, since it was far easier than his given name and his last name. -She was made for a loved one too, with all the hope of a suit to be accepted. Maybe that's your purpose, the same as her's.-

The young girl, ethereal body humming always the same song, spent her entire nights in the dreams of the young boys and girls, praying for their love, and it was wellknown that every time a confession was made and the distant sound of her song could be heard, the love would be true.

-I don't think I might be able to bring a couple together- the aristocratic cat said after a short silence and a sip of tea -Miss Christie's creator was together with his love and my creator lost his.- and gazed at the portrait on the wall, the same he had been carrying when he had arrived to the "Refuge", nearly two months prior.

-Oh, sorry- Toto apologized, knowing how delicate it was the love theme for his friend. After all, dear unnamed Louise had been destroyed by a bomb a couple of years before.

-There's no problem- the cat smiled and looked beyond the window, to the courtyard where the song creation Christie was dancing happily at the rhythm of her own music with another doll creation, Myrddin, made of clay and emeralds.

-Maybe, if you know the world outside the "Refuge" you might find your purpose- Toto said before offering his back to the cat lord and, together, they took off to the sky.

~o~o~o~

Part 5: First time for everything...

-There!- Baron's sharp eyes saw it first when they flew above the trees, searching for a lost doll in the local park. It was their first time flying and they already looked like a team, after they had agreed to help the little girl, crying alone on the bench for her lost doll. Toto knew her immediate wish was for it to be returned and Baron wanted to be of help, not being able to shake off his gentlemanly ways, so they had searched all around the park until seeing the doll, stuck between two branches thanks to a group of bullies who were, as one could suspect, bullying the girl. So Baron and Toto had listened to the girl, returned the doll to her, given some words of encouragement and finally the girl had stood up to her tormenters and everything had been alright for everyone: the boys had a new friend, the girl had the courage to speak her mind and Baron and Toto had finally a way to fulfill their purposes, giving meaning to their lives.

-How do Cat Bureau sounds?- Toto asked in jest and both friends laughed in the way back to the "Refuge".

~o~o~o~

Part 6: The girl who speaks to cats.

-_Konnichiwa_ Toto!- a cheerful voice greeted him some seconds before the actual presence of Minawa came into view. She was a beautiful magpie with three circular black sports in her chest, therefore the reason for her name.

-Hi Minawa!- Toto greeted back -Are you alright?- he asked, since the female bird had been depressed for two weeks, because of the disappearance of her twin brother Michinaga.

-Yeah, Michi returned home last night and you won't believe what he told us!- she said with an anticipation tone often used by young birds, and without waiting for Toto's answer, she continued -That a human saved him!- Toto's expression of surprise wasn't lost to the bird, who laughed hard -and that's not all, it seems she can speak with cats!- Now Minawa was nearly upside down thanks to the laughter, but for Toto it wasn't laughing matter. He flew directly to the Kawa's tree to speak with the older brother. And he found Michi there, gazing far at the sky.

-_Konnichiwa_ Michi- Toto saluted before landing on the same branch the teen bird was.

-Hey...-the younger answered absently, before falling into silence.

-Minawa told me what happened- Toto spoke once it was obvious the young wasn't going to say anything more.

-Yeah... you won't believe me too, will you?- Michi asked in a bitter tone of voice, without watching the other bird next to him.

-I do- Toto simply said and Michi turned around, surprised to hear the only two words he had needed to hear. And with no more words, both took off in the direction Michi took them, to see the girl who could speak with cats.

~o~o~o~

-It's her- Michi said as they landed on a branch at the other side of the street from where they could see a girl playing happily with a doll. She had big brown eyes and short brown hair in a ponytail, and an oval shaped face, framed by her rebel bangs of hair.

-How do you know she can speak with cats?- Toto asked after sensing the girl's wish; for a friend to play with.

-Because while she was treating me, a stray cat, a big gray one, asked her to give me to him, so I would become its meal, and she said not, because I was going to be okay- Michi answered after a shudder and, since Toto wasn't going to say anything more, returned to his family tree.

Toto stood there a little more time, just enough for the girl to go to bed, then took flight and searched for the ideal one. In an apartment building some streets far he found what he was seeking for. A girl, a young girl with sandy brown hair and two little brothers was sleeping and dreaming she would make a good girl friend in her new school, so Toto took both the dreams, mixed them together and returned to the "Refuge", thankful he was able to pay back the favor of saving a friend's life.

~o~o~o~

Part 7: The criminal cat from a kingdom of lies.

Toto was flying far above the city, just watching for abnormal things. And certainly a very fat cat, white as the moon and big as a dog walking (or better said, wobbling) along the street was abnormal.

-Hey! Fatso!- Toto yelled as he launched himself to the white mass of fur below him but was forced to pause on the air, in the middle of his flight by the force of the cat's gaze. And now that he watched at it closely it was far thinner than what he had expected.

-What'cha want birdbrain?- the gruff voice from the cat almost caused the stone crow to turn back to his original form. But his confusion lasted only a single instant, before he could _feel_ the actual wish from the cat. He wanted to be someone new and not to be alone.

-You don't have to listen to me- Toto said slowly flying by the cat's side -But there's a place where you can go, whenever you want to meet others like you. There, no one will find you, unless you want to. I promise...- and smiled at the sudden memory of his younger brother -You Pork-bun-

-Shuddup birdbrain!- the cat yelled, but Toto couldn't help but feel the relief in his voice and soul.

-What's your name?- Toto asked conversationally.

-Don't have one- the cat answered evasively, but Toto immediately knew he was lying, and yet again, the memory of his brother resurfaced, his smiling face at the side of the face of the cat.

-What about Muta?- Toto suggested and the cat stopped cold in his tracks.

-Muta?-

-It means "change"- Toto answered, earning the first heartfelt smile from the cat.

-Sounds good, overgrown chicken!- Muta said before taking off in a race, and Toto laughed hard. Maybe it wasn't fair to "revive" his brother through a friend, but no harm was made by it. After all, maybe... maybe that extremely big cat could have, at least a part, of his brother's soul.

And Toto took off after the cat, none of them really caring about the fact that Muta didn't know the way to the "Refuge" or the fact that maybe the other creations might not be happy about having a mortal among them.

~o~o~o~

Part 8: No good deed goes unpunished.

He was sleeping when the girl came, but that didn't mean he couldn't notice the fact that she was entering the courtyard, like so many small children before her. Curiously enough, the only humans that could enter the "Refuge" were the ones that believed in magic, and lately, only the little children believed. But she felt somewhat different... and familiar.

-I see you have visitors today- he commented, just after turning back to flesh for the night. It was then, before the shock of Baron's words and after his own words that he noticed the familiar feeling coming from her. The girl who spoke to cats...

The jolt from Baron's words, commenting on the girl's looks, brought him back to reality, and he could immediately see some kind of... admiration... from the lord to the teen.

But chances were always needed to fight with Muta and spend their friendship like that. So she was in troubles for saving someone... how natural it seemed for her! Maybe it had not been the first time, but it surely seemed like magic was not normal for her, that she didn't understand the undercurrents of destiny and how the lives of others were slowly spinning around her.

Mulberries, yes, they needed mulberries. Surely the girl would love them.

The night wind called him to cool off his confusion, since he was seeing something he couldn't be seeing. Some called it "the red thread of fate", but it looked nothing like that. It was more like an aura around the girl, a mortal with immortal soul. And he felt so sad, because loves like those could not bear fruit ever. He was the living proof.

Cats... was it normal to be a cat parade running around the commercial district in the city? Yeah, well, it was pretty normal for one or two cats to be wandering together... but fifty?... why was it so abnorm...?

-Posso essere più stupidi?- he yelled to himself at the top of his lungs before returning to the Bureau, just in time to give warning for something already happening and for be of help to his friends and the girl.

There was frustration on Baron's sight when they couldn't follow them anymore, but it was soon replaced in his brilliant mind by an idea before he jumped into the water. And all that meant was problems when he was like that.

~o~o~o~

Part 9: Bridges.

Friends...

Can you imagine how many friends were needed to save one person, a fat cat and a walking and talking doll from falling to their death?

Well, that was his goal.

To get together all his friends, and all his known ones and all the ones who were in debt with him.

It was the biggest case he had been into since he knew the cat lord.

And for God... he was enjoying every second of it.

School's roof... peace and silence. Words of goodbye cawed by his friends and the hope in the girl's eyes.

Secrets...

-One more thing to do- he said and Muta extended his front legs to be pulled. Just the Muta he was when something was really needed and the way only them could talk through, without fighting.

-What was that about, birdbrain?-

-Change- Toto answered when they were almost at the school clock. And those were all the words needed. They knew the change. Firsthand.

-They know the truth- Muta confessed just as they were coming close to the end of the journey.

-They had- Toto answered as he descended for Baron to make a final show of appreciation to the girl and the cat lord jumped to his back, to go directly to the Bureau and get back to their lives.

The girls words could be heard over the sound of the wind and, even tough they had to fight to keep the world upside up, Not Muta, nor Toto could fail to notice the longing in the doll's eyes.

No...

Baron not...

It wasn't fair for him to suffer too...

And like that, the three of them knew she was one of those humans who could believe in magic and be mature at the same time... all thanks to the pain of a love that could never be.

* * *

><p>Only one more chapter to go! (weeeeee!) look forward to it! (this is a BaronxHaru)<p>

Thanks very much Chocolate for your review! it gave me the strenght to keep writting!


	3. Chapter 3: Future

Chocolate... Thanks for the strenght! It gave me a good boost!

**Chapter 3: Future**

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
><strong>

What's left when everything we love perish? what's left when our hearts give up on us and the world falls all around? what's left when we lose ourselves in the search of what is not there anymore?

Toto saw Baron waking up, and almost at the same moment, abandoning his body to roam free like an orange cat. He had been doing the same for more than four years and the stone-bird always remembered with fear the first time he had done so, when his body had been lost to himself to be found by a dream-walker.

What was the cat figurine searching? Toto knew far too well what his actions meant, having done similar things in the past. But the bird's words were heard no more, and the only he could do was to hope for Muta to never abandon Baron. Maybe in Muta's actions, Toto's words could be heard.

**:-:-:-:-:-:**

-The window is open, _monsieur_ Toto- Alouette greeted him with a flourish of her dress and Toto arrived directly in the windowsill beneath the doll, almost making her fly off into the room.

-Sorry about that- Toto said, offering a wing for the girl to restore her balance.

-Don't worry- she said, laughing and rearranging her hair back into its place. But seeing the solemn face of her only _Création _friend, she stoped laughing and instead she put both her hands at the sides of the bird, and it only took he a moment to know what was happening. -That's how the final place looks?- she asked with a dreamy face, but then she fell back into subject, rememebering the other thing she had seen -He is the one that shares your demon, isn't he?-

-Yeah... maybe his first love never woke up. For all we knew, she didn't have a soul, but his heart was still attached to her. My love died. His love never lived.- Toto was on the verge of tears, but he forced himself to continue -And now... he loves someone who's alive-

-_Printemps?- _

-Yes...-

-Toto... why are you here? why me?- Alouette asked at last, overcoming the silence.

-Ally... you are the memory. I know what you are and I want to know...- Toto nearly yelled in anxiousness and desperation and Alouette gazed back at the sky, a sad smile on her lips.

-_Oui..._ I'm at the same time Alouette and Ginette. I was born as Ginette, and Ginette was my creator.- she knew what the crow was trying to say -It is possible for a creator to live on through their creation. And no... it isn't the first time an "adult" had been able to see creations. Whoever, with the soul to create and the heart to give life, is able to understand that magic-

-Come with me- the crow offered his back and both of them flew into the sky beyond the clouds at an speed no mortal could achieve, to get down on Japan, on the bigger island of the archipielague, on a small city and enter a church.

Toto knew far too well the reasons for the girl to get married and one of them was sitting on the shoulder of the Virgin Mary's statue in the front of the altar, in his original form and with a cloud of sadness over his head. Toto saw how his eyes lost all the shine when the girl said "I do".

-She is...- Alouette's eyes were glazed by tears, but they were not only for empathy to the fellow _Création_, but for the inner sadness the bride felt. -She's not marrying with him for love.- a pause while she cleaned her eyes form tears -Her heart is someone else's...-

-She _loves_ the man... but...- Toto trailed off but Alouette needed no more words.

-But her eternal heart it's for the cat with the heart of a man.-

**:-:-:-:-:-:**

-_Bonsoir madame Printemps!-_ Alouette's voice filled the balcony and Haru gazed directly to the sky just in time to see the dark shadow landing by her side, on the railing surrounding the balcony.

-I guess that means "hi!"- the woman said, laughing and rearranging a strand of hair that had fallen off the elaborate hairdress before the strenght of the wind Toto's wings created.

-"Hello Haru", more specifically, but... yes- Toto said, allowing the woman to stroke the feathers in his back, while the porcelain creation sat down on the railing, facing the human.

-If you would allow me to intrude, I'd say it means "Good evening, Miss Haru"- A soft voice said behind the creations and Toto almost jumped out of his feathers and rapidly turned around to see the cat creation jumping down from the cherry tree's branch directly over the balcony, bringing down with him a rain of pink petals all around the girl.

-Mistress...- Haru answered weakly, her face on flames over the implications of the words. Toto could see an almost maniatical glint in Baron's eyes, the one he had just before abandoning his wood and cloth body to take a mortal one. And both, the porcelain and the stone creation could see, the world had stopped to exist for both of them.

-Would you allow me this piece, while you are still "Miss Haru"?- Baron said with the same soft voice, just before a beam of light surrounded him and a human appeared in front of the woman.

-Yes... Baron- Haru answered with the awed voice only a teenager in love has and took the hand the pale-skined man offered her while a song both of them recognized from a not-so-distant past began.

-I just hope she won't be missed- Toto said to no one, as he took Baron's original body out of the way of the dancers.

-She won't- Alouette's voice said someplace near him and he turned around to see the doll, enveloped in soft lilac-blue light -A gift of a moment on the infinity for the human creator and the impossible love creation.- she said as the final notes from the waltz hung in the air.

And the pair in love stood together for a long time, just savoring the stolen seconds until it was obvious it was far too late for them. Toto could see Haru saying something into Baron's ear, a flicker of pain crossing his already dull eyes, but both creations could hear what the man said: "I promise to take care of you and them, whatever happens, even if you can't see me."

And despite both of them showed in their whole bodies the need to kiss each other, they managed to stay apart, 'til the same beam of light appeared and the soul of the creation returned to his own body. -Thrust yourself!- Baron yelled before lauching off the balcony, barely giving Toto enough time to catch him and fly off to the nearest place to the refuge, before taking Alouette back home.

But Toto would never, never forget the figure of the girl, standing on tiptoes with both hands on the railing, white against stone, the few cherry blossom petals still on her hair and dress, the sparkling tear on her cheek, as she watched, once again, her love going far to never been seen again and the man walking out the cristal doors to offer her his coat against the chill of the night.

**:-:-:-:-:-:**

Somethings returned to normal inside the Refuge for Creations. Baron didn't roam ever again in either of his mortal bodies, but stood inside his own body, reading his books over and over. Toto and Baron helped people and animals together again. That seemed as a part of Baron that was never going to change. Muta's fights (didn't the fat marshmallow ever got any old?) and the creations freely going around.

But that wasn't what made Toto worry. Baron didn't have tea ever again. None of them had seen him smiling, really smiling again. He seemed to have much less patience with Muta's appetite, tough he didn't ever got agressive or angry. There were soft reprimands and little gestures. And the shine in his eyes never returned.

Years came and went. Toto came with Alouette once on his back, the poor doll turned into trash by her family after the death of the last dollmaker. And after all the time alone, the girl helped taking care of the cat-like creation. And thanks to her, the helping to the world became easier and bigger. Toto could carry the dreams to the stars, Baron gave hope to the hopeless, Muta gave courage to the ones that wanted to gave up and Alouette helped retrieve the memories of those who forgot or wanted to forget.

Some months later, Haru gave birth to a healthy little girl, with hair the color of the apple and eyes like leaves. The girl came to the world like a sigh, with a smile on her tiny lips almost as she was born. She seemed to incarnate all what her mother had shown those last few minutes they had been together, during her teens. Hotaru, her father named the girl. Jane, Baron named her, tough no one would know the reason behind the name until some years after.

**:-:-:-:-:-:**

Baron seemed to recuperate some of the shine of his eyes then and he would spend endless nights just watching the girl sleep, sometimes lulled by the voice of her mother. Toto spent with him the most of the nights, just watching him, his gaze soft and caring, full of love directed to both women.

-You will kill yourself that way- Toto had said him once, when Haru had turned the lights off, leaving the toddler the light of her nightlamp to sleep. Baron had closed his eyes for some seconds that seemed like the eternity and for a moment Toto became ready for the rebuke, but it never came.

-Second star to the right...- Baron mumbled and chuckled a little inside his closed fist, like a coughing fit -Maybe you are right... it's time I let her go, isn't it?- some sadness came over him again as he stood on the branch of the tree directly in front the child's window. -We are never going to fly together... there's no paradise waiting for us where she will stay Miss Haru forever. And just like Peter, I lost my Wendy to time...- it seemed like the little ramble wasn't mean for anyone to listen to it, so Toto stood silent until both of them knew it was time to go. Baron had spent all his tears in the flight, leaving only a trail of shining stars in the night and a flesh-like sleeping body behind.

**:-:-:-:-:-:**

-Sanctuary!- the voice sounded strong and sure but frightened at the same time, but the most startling feature was the closeness of it. Toto came to life almost instantly, the scurrying of the other creations being one of the reasons, the other, the loud, crashing sounds coming from what only could be a human body.

-Are you alright?- he asked more for the sake of politeness than any other thing, landing at her side after flying off his pillar.

-Yeah... nothing's broken- the girl said with a smile after sitting up correctly tucking some strands for hair behind her ear so they wouldn't obstruct her vision -Thanks- she said and just then Toto knew who she was, without needing her to tell him so. Those eyes, the color of the leaves. That hair, the color of the apples and the shape of her eyes and body and face, just like her mother's. But he couldn't say anything to warn Baron. Nothing at all. The girl said everything by herself and, even tough she mentioned the death of her parents (the death of Haru), Baron seemed to take strenght from the vow Alouette and him had heard and, together, they had helped her defeat her demon.

**:-:-:-:-:-:**

No time for mourning, no time for crying. Fighting was all they could do. All of them in the verge of death once and once again, but everything was worth when it came to it, because it didn't matter how much any of them suffered, when Toto almost lost his wings, when Muta almost fell to the ground from the claws of the gryphus, when Alouette almost got broken, when Baron was missing for half a day, it would never come near to what was the girl feeling, connected as she was to the ghost of her mother and the souls of the creations.

And finally, when the truth came to light and everyone was asked to make a sacrifice to save the whole world. Toto gave up the color of half of his feathers, turning white in the process. Alouette her gift for singing, Muta his strenght. Baron gave up his gift with languages and finally, Hotaru gave up the sight in one of her eyes. And the world that had been turned upside-down, turned the right way again.

**:-:-:-:-:-:**

Her feet went to points, her arms up and down, all her body moving from side to side like bamboo on the wind, or maybe cat-tails... yes, cattails in the wind. Her fingers turned into sun beams for eternal just-past-midday. Her arms became the full moon, becoming thinner as the time passed. Swift movements made by sword, tender moments for an unforgettable waltz. Becoming small in fear, becoming bigger in courage. A king of cats, a white princess in a maid custom, a valiant prince with noble heart, a wise cat with a heart bigger than his stomach, he, himself, a stone crow always willing to help. And the love of her life: a cat with the body of a human, trying hard to help others help themselves.

This was a kind of creation nobody had seen before. Perhaps there was no other music than the soft humming of Christie song. A glowing, slender woman always moving to the rithm no one could hear, her edges dissapearing in the edge of the sight. Golden and silver, milk-coffee, amber. She was neither the teenager they had saved from herself, nor the woman of fourty-something that had been the mother of the girl giving life to an illusion. If anything, Toto remembered the last waltz between the lovers of an impossible love, as they danced through the raining petals in the day of the goodbyes.

Moonshine and sakura petals weaved in her hair as she danced the last steps, right into the arms of the waiting cat-man in front of her. No words were said, no movements were made as they enjoyed at last the final minutes of their life apart, the one that was about to become a life together, when they had found at last the paradise where they could be together despite the time, the space and the race.

-She is...- Alouette began, trailing off in awe at the creation that was at the same time the creator.

-A dancing creation?- Toto tried to joke full of happiness for his friend and for the girl who meant so much to everyone, but Alouette just shook her head.

-No... the impossible love becoming thruth- she said those words with reverence and Toto finally understood the words she had said that day, twenty years ago. The impossible love could never conquer destiny, nor distances, or time, or space... Baron could never save unnamed Louise, nor could stay with her. He couldn't be with Haru when she was human and he was just an inanimated object with a soul granted through wishes. Baron was the memory of his little time by Cielo's side and lost eternities.

But Haru... Haru was the blue rose. The true love raising above the sky itself to gain what was written in their hearts. Haru was the courage to go beyond expectations, to make differences and to gain the eternity. By waiting for her, Baron had gained the right to be with her. And as Toto understood, in Cielo's words, Haru was Baron's wings, to gain the sky and live in freedom, to love, to help and to fly. Haru, as a creation and not as a human, was Baron's half.

The sun was raising now, making the tears in Hotaru's cheeks shine like diamonds and Toto could heard Baron's deep laugh and Haru's giggles as he raised her in the air, spinning in joy, like not believing she was real. -Second star to the right, straight 'til the sunraise- he said with all the crammed emotions he had been keeping to himself since they had helped a young girl to discover herself.

-That's our Everafter- Haru answered and both of them glowed in joy as they said goodbye to the girl, who at last could see her mother with the one who brought light to her eyes and Toto returned to his column, calling it a day, with the sounds of excited chatter and joy from the creations, that had at last seen how a creation was born from dreams and hopes of beings with the soul of a child and the heart of an artist.

**:-:-:-:-:-:**

Afternoon. Hotaru had a tendency to always came in afternoons right after her essays in the dancing school. She was slowly turning into a woman, very similar to her mother at that age. But against everything they would tought, Baron never tried to act like her father. After years he understood that wasn't his role. She was not his daughter and everything between them was a very warm and close friendship. Tough, that didn't help poor young Daniel when he came first into the refuge to know his mother-in-law. Nor it did help when years after the same poor Daniel came to ask for Hotaru's hand in marriage before asking Naoko for it. But it helped everyone to survive through the first son of the couple, the daughter, another son... their grandchildren, great-grandchildren... and finally, the loneliness.

There was always somebody else to help, tough. Time and space moved differently in the refuge than in the human world, and there were multitude of other worlds they could help too. Nothing could stop them to try and make the world a better place for everybody, using always the best of their talents to bring the best out of everyone.

Toto was never given the pleasure of watching fruit from the love of his friends, for Creations, even being living, flesh and breathing beings, could not share the joy of create. But he couldn't really ask for more in the world than their happiness of having each other in a forever than sounded far too short for them.

One day, his good wishes were compensated by the apparition of a magpie Creation, a beautiful piece of marble, a work of art, and though he knew it wouldn't ever be the same, both of them gave the opportunity to destiny to make everything right and in the patience of the teacher and the willingness to learn, both of them knew love.

**:-:-:-:-:-:**

-There's something I've been wanting to ask you dear...- Baron began, one afternoon, while the rays of the dying sun filtered through Haru's body, giving her a golden tone.

-Yes...-she answered, trying to get him to continue.

-How did you make it?- he asked at last, overcoming his slight dizziness -how did you turn yourself into a Creation?-

-I thought of it when I was still a teenager- she answered, with a fleeting look of pain in her face -Not knowing what I wanted to do with my life... I only wished to find something worth of what had you done for me. I learned how to dance and I discovered I was quite good at it. I knew it was worth a shot if I ever wanted to be with you. So I spent most of my life creating that dance, in which I poured all my memories, my love for you, my love for my family, my daughter and all my hopes to go on living.- she said with a dazed look on her eyes, old gold in the twilight -I... I...- she stammered, lost in the emories of a finished life.

-Shhh, it's alright...- Baron went to sit by her side, enveloping her in a tender embrace -we are flying together and that's all that matters to me...-

-And to me...- Haru added, leaning her head into his chest, tears of pure joy falling down her face. They were together and that meant everything for them...

**:-:-:-:-:-:**

Now... sorry for the very long wait! I know, I know... it's all my fault, but... argh! I haven't have internet connection in much more than a month and then I went to take care of a house and their dogs, fish, birds, chickens and cat (and I even finished paying for the dogs' food), then comes the work and repairing the stairs... well, it has been far too long and I had this written since almost a week after the last chapter. I know it sucks, but please, deal with me. Whatever mistake you think should be punished with death, fell free to tell me and I will correct it. Thanks a lot for reading and I hope to find you later on other stories. Oh, and for those whit me in spanish, I'll begin a series about cases in the Cat Bureau.

See you and thanks for everything. You are the best!


End file.
